Citizensinformation.ie uses cookies. Some cookies may
have been set already. To find out more about our use of
cookies you can visit our privacy and cookies statement. By browsing
this website, you agree to our use of cookies.

Becoming an Irish citizen through marriage or civil partnership

Information

If you are a foreign national who is the spouse or civil partner of an Irish
citizen, you may be able to become an Irish citizen if you meet certain
conditions. Foreign nationals married to or in a civil partnership with Irish
citizens can apply for citizenship through
naturalisation. The application process is the same as for foreign
nationals who are not the spouses or civil partners of Irish citizens but there
are more favourable residence requirements. The Minister for Justice and
Equality has discretion to grant or refuse your application.

Rules

If you are the spouse or civil partner of an Irish citizen who is applying
for Irish citizenship, you must meet the following conditions:

You must be married to or in a recognised civil partnership* with the
Irish citizen for at least 3 years

You must have had a period of 1 year's continuous reckonable
residence - see below - in the island of Ireland immediately before
the date of your application

You must have been living on the island of Ireland for at least 2 of the
4 years before that year of continuous residence

Your marriage or civil partnership must be recognised as valid under
Irish law

You and your spouse or civil partner must be living together as husband
and wife or civil partners

You must be of full age, good character and intend to continue to live on
the island of Ireland

You must have made a declaration of fidelity to the nation and loyalty to
the State.

*Foreign
relationships registered outside Ireland were only recognised by the State
on 13 January 2011 when the Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and
Obligations of Cohabitants Act 2010 came into force. This means that, even if
your civil partnership was registered outside Ireland before 2011, only your
residence as the civil partner of an Irish citizen since 13 January 2011 will
be counted as part of the 3-year period required for naturalisation based on
your civil partnership with an Irish citizen.

If you have previously been married and divorced

You can only claim citizenship by marriage or civil partnership if your
current marriage
or civil
partnership is valid under Irish law.

You are not free to enter a second marriage or a civil partnership unless,
at the time of your second marriage or civil partnership, your previous
marriage had been terminated by:

The death of your first husband or wife

A divorce that would be recognised under Irish law

A divorce granted by an Irish court will be recognised as having terminated
your previous marriage. If your freedom to enter your current marriage or civil
partnership was based on an earlier marriage terminated by a divorce, and that
divorce was not obtained in Ireland, you will need to find out whether that
divorce is one that would be recognised under Irish law.

You will be required to present documentation showing the validity of your
current marriage, which would include documentation showing the validity of any
previous divorce.

If you have previously been in a civil partnership which is now
dissolved

In the same way, as described above, you are not free to enter a second
civil partnership or marriage unless your previous civil partnership had been
terminated by:

The death of your first civil partner

A dissolution that would be recognised under Irish law

Processing your application for citizenship

You will be informed by registered post when the decision is made on your
application. Generally most applications will be processed within 6 months.

If your application is approved, the letter notifying you of this decision
will contain instructions regarding the final procedures that must be completed
before the certificate of naturalisation can be issued. When you submit the
required documentation and certification fee, you will be invited to a
citizenship ceremony at which you will be granted your certificate of
naturalisation.

You can apply
for an Irish passport following the confirmation of your Irish citizenship
and the receipt of your citizenship certificate.

Rates

Since 10 November 2011 the fee for an application for
naturalisation is €175

When the certificate of naturalisation is
issued you pay a fee of €950.

How to apply

The supporting documents required include evidence of your identity and
nationality (birth certificate and passport). You will also need to produce
documents relating to your status and the duration of your stay in the State,
for example, your Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB) card, declaration of
refugee status.

Spouse or civil partner of an Irish citizen

As your application for naturalisation is based on your marriage to or civil
partnership with an Irish citizen, you will need to produce the documents
needed to show your spouse’s or civil partner's status and evidence of your
marital or civil partner status (for example, birth or naturalisation
certificate of Irish spouse, marriage or civil registration certificate). In
the application form your spouse or civil partner must complete a sworn
affidavit that you are living together as husband and wife or civil partners.

As well as these documents, you must produce documents relevant to your
financial and employment status (payslips for the previous 3 months, bank
statements for the previous 3 months) and confirmation of your income tax
situation.

You should only send copies of the above documents with your application
form. The copies of birth, marriage, civil partnership and divorce certificates
must be certified copies. Certified copies are photocopies of
original documents which are made and certified by a solicitor, notary public,
Commissioner for Oaths or Peace Commissioner. You will be expected to produce
the original documents for inspection at a later stage during the examination
of your application.

The information in your application form will be checked against the
supporting documentation and any inaccuracy will lead to delays in ruling on
your application.

You should not sign the form until you are in the presence of the person who
must witness you signing it. The application form contains instructions about
who is eligible to be a witness.

Supports available

If you need assistance with your application, the Citizenship Application
Support Service (CASS) is a free information and support service established by
the New Communities Partnership. You can call contact the national helpline at
(01) 677 3887 or visit
one of their clinics

Where to apply

New applications should be sent to Citizenship Applications, Irish
Naturalisation and Immigration Service, PO Box 73, Tipperary Town.
Note: this address is only for lodging new adult applications. All other
citizenship correspondence should be sent to:

Language

Related Documents

Becoming an Irish citizen through naturalisationNaturalisation is the process whereby a foreign national can become an Irish citizen. Find out more about who is eligible to become an Irish citizen through naturalisation and how to apply for naturalisation.

Contact Us

If you have a question relating to this topic you can contact the Citizens Information Phone Service on 0761 07 4000 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 8pm) or you can visit your local Citizens Information Centre.